The End Times of Bram and Ben #1

What would you do if you were caught in the Biblical End Times? When Heaven raptures total bastard Bram Carlson in a "clerical error" - he's sent back and immediately uses Armageddon to his benefit! Can his anxious roommate Ben save Bram from himself - AND the gathering forces of Armageddon?

Extra-long debut issue! This apocalyptic buddy-comedy from writers JAMES ASMUS (THIEF OF THIEVES, Gambit) and JIM FESTANTE is recommended for fans of CHEW and BATTLE POPE.

The End Times of Bram and Ben is a breath of fresh air. It's original, funny with some killer art and should be read by many. While it deals with a touchy subject, I doubt it will offend anyone, as the humor isn't focused on faith but rather the situation it presents. James Asmus and Jim Festante know how to tell a fun, witty story and I can't wait for the next issue. There needs to be more comics like this, and if this doesn't sell well that would be a goddamn shame. That's right, I blasphemed. It was worth it, the book's just that good. Read Full Review

The End Times of Bram and Ben is a lot of fun. The book is steeped in religion and Christianity, but it's not concerned with who's right and who's wrong. Instead, it's content to explore the narrative possibilities and humour in the situation its creators have whipped up. The book is irreverence without reverence, and I can't wait to get my hands on more. Read Full Review

I don't know how many times I've had the discussion of what I'd do when faced with the apocalypse. It seems to be something many of my friends find interest in as well, be it an escape from society or becoming one with the primal side of life. Our society as a whole is infatuated with the end of the world, probably because we think we're headed towards something. Either way, it's a great treat to see the topic toyed with in this series, and thankfully, it's not with the use of zombies. Read Full Review

But, again, the humor here is a draw. There's few comics I've read in the last year where I've laughed this hard. This is truly a case of don't judge a book by it's cover. Do yourself a favor and buy this one this week. Read Full Review

In all seriousness " an ironic qualifier if there ever was one " this is one of the best comics I've read in some time. It falls short of perfect because it does lack the gravity necessary to get a perfect score, but in virtually all other areas, this is a success. An astounding opening issue for "The End Times." Read Full Review

Rem Broo's art complements the book's quirky tone perfectly. His exaggerated cartooning helps send the jokes home. The characters look great, the backgrounds are finely detailed and the pages are beautifully structured. Everything just looks awesome. You can actually see the characters' different personalities in their bodies and movement. So far, Ben is the only character that feels fleshed out, but we'll have to see where the series goes from here. If The End Times of Bram and Ben can keep this up, we'll have an early contender for Best Mini-Series of 2013. Fingers crossed. Read Full Review

The book has several well-crafted comedic scenes like that, where ideas are taken to their logical conclusion, and is seems like the comic is just getting started at the cliffhanger. For a medium referred to as "comics", this grasp of humour is disappointingly scarce, which makes The End Times of Bram and Ben a real discovery. One might almost say"a miracle. Read Full Review

I could really care less about the religious aspect of this story. I just want to read the jokes and see what happens to Ben. I know I should probably care about Bram, but he’s only going to react to the story that Ben leads him through and that’s okay. I think this comic might offend a lot of people which is another reason why I liked it so much. It doesn’t take itself serious at all, but manages to tell a strong narrative while being extremely entertaining. Not for the weak of heart, but check it out if you have the courage to be entertained. Read Full Review

That being said, this book is not for everybody, but if youre looking for a break from the all of the ultra serious books on shelves or if youre in need of a good laugh, then may want to consider giving this new mini-series a shot. It's pretty unique. Read Full Review